mother over 40 Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Mothering in the Middle

Fertility Diet Trumps Statistics

by Cindy Bailey

I recently attended a seminar at a wonderful local fertility clinic on the topic of PGD and PGS in IVF. It was fascinating, especially to see how far such testing has come in recent years, and it was very well-presented. However, I found myself getting increasingly uncomfortable with all the charts and tables that showed the age-related, over-the-cliff drop-off of successful pregnancies in women in their late 30’s, early 40’s and mid-40’s. (They don’t even bother with late 40’s.) […]

IVF, The Spaniard and Me

by Ellie Stoneley

The solemnity with which the two medical assistants entered the room, carrying the strange long floppy syringe as if it was the Holy Grail was almost laughable … apart from the fact that for me it was the Holy Grail. The embryo about to be transferred from the depths of the syringe into my waiting and perfectly prepared womb was the most precious most longed for mass of cells in the entire universe. […]

A Touch of Mothering for a “Mother’s Helper”

by Karin Lippert

Long before Ann Martin wrote her bestselling series The Baby-Sitters Club® I was a baby-sitter on Long Island at age 12. Looking back, I continue to be amazed that a family – a mother – would trust me to take care of three children [one an infant] at that age. It was the ‘50s and I was paid 50 cents an hour in a far more innocent time. I loved the family, enjoyed the kids. I also remember I tried one of the mom’s Lucky Strike cigarettes – cough, cough! Not good. […]

Myths and Realities of Surrogacy

Karen Synesiou and Fay Johnson

Dear Reader: This is an update of a previous post. Given the increase in surrogates and surrogacy, we thought it important to present this comprehensive review of it all.

MYTH You have to be a couple to be able to have a child through surrogacy.

REALITY We are more and more seeing single women wishing to be Mothers coming to surrogacy. Please keep in mind that there still must be a medical necessity to ask another woman to take that risk for you. Many women can still carry a pregnancy even after their own eggs may no longer be viable. While eggs mayno longer be viable after the very early 40’s, you can still carry a pregnancy into your late 40’s. The average age of women in the U.S. carrying donor egg pregnancies is 44! We are also seeing many more single men becoming a parent through surrogacy. […]

Rose-Colored Parenting

by Andrea Lynn

My 4-year-old and I took a trip down memory lane last month. My memory lane, that is, since we were visiting the city of her birth, which we left when she was 15 months old, and of course she has no recollection. […]

The Midlife Biological Clock

by Jenilyn Gilbert

Dear Reader: Please meet our newest regular contributor, Jenilyn Gilbert – a fertility coach, certified yoga instructor, and adoption counselor.

As a fertility coach and someone personally trying to conceive in her 40’s, I have found that keeping an open mind and open heart around how your child comes to you can be quite the challenge when there are so many different ways to become a mother. Perhaps you’ve been trying naturally to conceive and you’re researching fertility doctors now, or you’ve done many IVF’s and the doctor is suggesting third party reproduction, or you’ve exhausted your biological efforts and are moving on to adoption. […]

Thank God It’s Thanksgiving

by Suzanne Braun Levine

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite day of the year. The way I do it, it has all the advantages of a holiday with none of the oppressive side-effects. There are no presents, so there is no guilt or financial stress. The food is wonderful and comforting (with lots of leftovers). I can enjoy a jello mold or sweet potatoes with marshmallows without shame. The participants are so ill-assorted that there is no way it could be called a dinner party, so there is little worry about maintaining my cool. Moreover, there is no chance that anyone can mix up the date and ring the doorbell a day early. And somehow family is absorbed into the chaos and the calories in a way that tension is neutralized. The pleasure I feel as I gaze around the table is a far cry from the anxiety family life usually brings. Or used to. […]

Traditionally, I Never Liked Traditions…

by Maggie Lamond Simone

Dear Reader: Maggie would like you to know that while she wrote this a few years ago, and she is now 50, the situation is still the exact same…and her mother still cooks the turkey.

I’m not what you’d call Tradition Girl.

In fact, I don’t have very many holiday habits that would even be considered “traditions,” and I think it’s partly because I married and had kids late. There were many years in there spent with roommates, friends, dates, and by myself, and I’m probably single-handedly responsible for misplacing every tradition my parents might have once had. […]

What Type of “Eyes” Do You See Your Child Through?

by Sheila Dinaburg-Azoff and Joan Reynolds

(Adopted from their new book, Parenting In Your Own Voice)

As a midlife parent, you’ve had a lot of life experiences that have shaped your perspectives. You’re far wiser than you were at twenty. Nevertheless, it’s sometimes a challenge for parents of any age to distinguish their own identity from their child’s identity. […]

Boost Fertility with Good Nutrition!

by Cindy Bailey

Dear Reader: This is a reprint of Cindy’s original blog post for us. A followup will be posted later this month. Cindy is truly a pioneer and dedicated to providing information for those trying to conceive, at any age.

Diet makes a difference in your fertility! I know from experience. At 40, after trying to conceive for over a year, I visited a popular reproductive endocrinologist who said I had a 2% chance of conceiving on my own. Devastated, I decided to do what I could to be in that 2%. I would not give up! […]